Public Service Alliance of Canada BC

The Union and the employer met for three and half days, from March 2 to March 5, 2010 and continued negotiations with the assistance of a conciliation officer.  While there were numerous and at times lenghthy delays in responses from the employer, the union continued to work on our proposals and our responses to the employers’ proposals in the spirit of reaching an agreement.

The only items agreed to were the following items:

• Letter of Understanding re: Employment Equity
• Harassment
• Leave with or without pay for other reasons

The Union tabled most of the remaining discussion items including proposals on Insurance Plans and Group RRSPs.

The employer responded “NO” and is refusing to provide counter-proposals regarding the following items:

• Family Related Leave
• Pension Plan
• Technological Change
• Professional Membership Fees (Drivers’ Licence)
• Contracting Out
• Social Justice Fund
• Flight Benefits
• Transit Passes

Monetary items, including Classification, Premiums, and Wages are expected to be dealt with at the next session.

Our next meeting dates with the employer are March 16 and 17 and the week of April 12 to 16.  At this time there has been no agreement between the parties to extend the 60 day time limit for the conciliation process.  This period expires on April 13 at which time the employer can lock us out (provided they have served the Union with 72 hours notice).

Over the next few weeks as we continue to negotiate, the bargaining team will continue to have membership meetings in order to update you on our progress. This is an opportunity for you to continue to give direction and support to your team. Meeting notices will be posted on your bulletin board and also on the union’s website at www.local20221.com.  Our next information meeting has been scheduled for March 31, 2010 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Room TBA. All members are strongly encouraged to attend.

We are also in the process of scheduling a strike vote. More information will be communicated to you as information becomes available.

• Monday March 8, 2010, 3:00 to 7:00 pm
• Refreshments will be served

• VENUE Ramada Plaza, 36035 North Parallel Road, Abbotsford, BC, Pinnacle 3 & 4 room
• Agenda:  Open Consultation – Meet with PSAC Negotiator Gail Lem

Please RSVP Janelle Ho-Shing at HoshinJ@psac.com by Monday March 8 at noon.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada and Servisair Inc. formerly GlobeGround Fuel Services will resume negotiations with the assistance of a conciliation officer from Tuesday March 2 to Friday March 5, 2010.

The parties were able to exchange proposals in December and met again in January and were able to reach agreement on a number of issues. The employer applied for conciliation in January despite the number of outstanding issues. Full copy of bargaining proposals can be found at www.local20221.com

The bargaining unit has approximately seventy-three members who provide fueling and fueling related services at the Vancouver International Airport.

For further information, please contact VP Labour Relations – Jason Salchert at 604.999.4961

After almost one year of negotiations and with the assistance of a Conciliation Officer, a tentative agreement was reached between the Public Service Alliance of Canada and the Prince George Airport Authority on February 11, 2010. The agreement has been ratified by both parties.

Highlights of the agreement include:

• Duration: 4 year agreement (April 1, 2009, to March 31, 2013)
• Rates of Pay:
  • Effective January 1, 2010  – 1%
  • Effective April 1, 2010 – 1%
  • Effective April 1, 2011 – 3%
  • Effective April 1, 2012 – 3%
• Ratification bonus:  $300.00 to each employee
• Recall: Members in the AOS classification who are term, temporary or seasonal will have priority of recall for future opportunities in order of their original date of hire
• No Discrimination: Gender identity or expression added as prohibited grounds
• Call-back: employees to be paid for mileage in accordance with Treasury Board rates
• The parties will jointly participate in a Committee Effectiveness workshop provided by the Federal Medication and Conciliation Service. The objective is to provide tools to both parties for discussion and resolution of workplace issues during the term of the collective agreement.

The bargaining committee would like to thank the members working at the Prince George Airport for their support throughout this difficult round of negotiations.

Collective bargaining between ARINC International of Canada and the Public Service Alliance of Canada resumed January 19 to 21, 2010.

The parties agreed and signed off on two (2) additional items (Arbitration and Call-back) bringing up to ten (10) the number of signed off items after four (4) negotiation sessions. There are over twenty (20) issues currently being dealt with where the parties have been holding discussions and exchanging proposals. The Union has approximately ten (10) issues left to present including Hours of Work, Vacation Leave, Insurance Plans, Pension, Duration and Wages.

The next session is tentatively booked for mid-March.

This new unit of approximately 20 members provide, amongst many other duties, technical support for computers and computer networks. They also operate a help-desk responding to customer calls at the Vancouver International Airport.

The second negotiation session between Servisair and the Public Service Alliance of Canada was held on January 7 and 8, 2010.

After only two (2) full days and two (2) half days of negotiations, the employer announced they had been working earlier today on an application for conciliation. The employer stated they needed the help of a third party and wanted a push to get it done.

Your bargaining team was surprised by the employer’s decision. We had placed all our energies towards reaching an agreement but now understand why the employer was distracted from negotiations earlier today.

We had made daily progress until now. Many issues had been resolved in the few days the parties have met and progress was made on many other issues yesterday and today. Agreement in principle was reached on the following issues / clauses:

• Employee Representatives
• Suspension and Discipline
• Staffing Procedure / Job Posting
• Grievance Procedure

We now look forward to reaching a new collective agreement before the conclusion of the Vancouver Winter Olympics and Paralympics with the assistance of a third party.

This new PSAC unit of seventy-three (73) members provides fueling and fueling related services at the Vancouver International Airport. Their collective agreement expired October 31, 2009.

Negotiations between Servisair and the Public Service Alliance of Canada commenced on December 10 and 11, 2009. The bargaining certificate for this new PSAC unit was issued by the Canada Industrial Relations Board on October 21, 2009. This unit of seventy-three (73) members provides fueling and fueling related services at the Vancouver International Airport.

The parties exchanged bargaining proposals on the first day. The employer’s proposals included rollbacks, including a freeze on wage progressions. Your bargaining team stated that we would not engage in concession bargaining. Despite this disappointing start, agreement in principle had been reached by the second day on the following issues / clauses:

• Purpose and scope of the Agreement
• Some definitions
• Recognition
• Use of Employer facilities
• Check-off / Union dues
• Information
• Discrimination
• Maternity Leave
• Parental Leave
• Leave without pay for personal reasons
• Jury duty
• Health and Safety
• Arbitration
• Joint Consultation
• Agreement Reopener

(more…)

The third negotiation session for a first collective agreement between GlobeGround Fuel Services Inc. and the Public Service Alliance of Canada was held on November 26 and 27, 2009. Despite the employer having to leave early, again, on the second day, progress was made on several issues. The parties signed off on four (4) issues including:

• Joint Consultation
• Classification and Job Descriptions
• Union Dues and Union Membership
• Use of Employer Facilities

(more…)

The parties have completed the incorporation of negotiated language and the Arbitral Award into a draft agreement. Once the draft agreement is proof-read, the parties will finalize any necessary changes, and then sign the Agreement.

The issues, such as wages, included in the September 24th Arbitral Award are effective on the date of the Award. All other changes included in the Agreement are effective on the date of signing.

The Agreement is expected to be signed before the end of November. Once signed, the Agreement will be posted on the PSAC website.

Negotiations for a first collective agreement between GlobeGround Fuel Services Inc. and the Public Service Alliance of Canada resumed October 14 and 15, 2009. The parties had originally agreed to also meet on October 16. However, the employer once again cancelled an already agreed to date without much notice to the Union.

Progress was slow. At the end of the two (2) day session, the parties had agreed, in principle, to two (2) articles dealing with the following issues:

• Joint Consultation
• Classification and Job Descriptions

Progress was made on some other non-monetary issues. Monetary issues were identified and will be dealt with later in the process.

The next session is scheduled for November 26 and 27, 2009

This new unit of 22 members was certified as a bargaining unit by the Canada Industrial Relations Board on March 16, 2009. Some of their duties include the supervision of approximately 80 fuelers and fueling related workers at the Vancouver International Airport as well as administrative duties related to inventory, accounts payable etc.

The second negotiation session for a first collective agreement between ARINC International of Canada and the Public Service Alliance of Canada was held October 7 and 8, 2009.

The beginning of the session was encouraging. The employer addressed all bargaining proposals the Union had tabled at the first session in August. Some responses showed signs of progress. Unfortunately, progress slowed down on the second day. In the end, the parties have reached agreement in principle on the following issues:

• Purpose and Scope of the Agreement
• Recognition clause
• No Discrimination
• Compassionate Care Leave
• Arbitration
• Professional Membership Fees
• Agreement Reopener

(more…)

The tentative agreement reached with Purolator Courier Ltd. on August 19, 2009, was ratified by the membership on September 27, 2009. Unless otherwise specified, the provisions of the agreement have force and effect on the date of ratification.

Highlights of the four year agreement, set to expire December 31, 2012, include:

• Economic increases of 3.0, 3.0, 3.25, and 3%
• Special equity adjustments for all classifications and levels of 2% in January 2011, and a further 2.5 % in January 2012
• Improvements to vacation leave for long-time employees
• Improvements to the pension plan and benefits plan
• Increased coverage for generic prescription drugs, basic dental care, and vision care.

The bargaining team would like to thank all members of the Local for their support during negotiations.

The YVR Negotiation team is pleased to announce the tentative agreement was ratified by the membership yesterday.  Highlights of the 4 year agreement, which expires December 31 2012 include

The team would like to thank all PSAC members at YVR for their support in this round of bargaining.

Your bargaining team received the arbitral award for the TC group and is deeply disappointed with the results. Your Union’s sidesperson on the arbitration panel has filed a dissenting report stating our objections to the outcome.

This award, along with other outstanding language will become the new collective agreement. Despite the bargaining team’s call for increases reaching beyond the legislated wage restraint, the arbitrator limited the award to four years. The four-year deal expires on June 21, 2011.

Your bargaining team went to arbitration with the hope that we could obtain a market increase for members at the end of the restraint period. We are dismayed that the arbitrator did not hear us and ruled against us.

The union’s arbitration brief made key arguments and presented data on a number of monetary issues that clearly demonstrated compensation gaps, all of which were ignored by the Arbitrator.

The monetary increases were awarded as per the legislated wage restraint:

• 2.3% pay increase on June 21, 2007
• 1.5% pay increase on June 21, 2008
• 1.5% pay increase on June 21, 2009
• 1.5% pay increase on June 21, 2010

We appreciate and recognize the patience that the members have shown throughout this process. The agreement will soon be signed and the new terms and conditions will soon be implemented.

We tried every possible avenue to get the best deal for members and we will continue our fight to get members the remuneration and the conditions of employment they deserve.

Download the following documents (pdf)

• Arbitration award
• The PSAC summary of the decision
• The PSAC sidesperson’s dissent

Vote times and locations throughout BC

September 16 – Nanaimo, 6:30PM, Boston Pizza, 2-5779 Turner Road
September 17 – Victoria, 6:30PM, Boston Pizza, 100-3510 Blanshard Street
September 17 – Kamloops, 6:30PM, Starbucks
September 19 – Vernon/Kelowna, 3PM, Creekside, 3929 Lakeshore Road
September 21 – Prince George, 7PM, Main Depot
September 26 – Vancouver, 11:30AM to 2:30PM, PSAC RO, 200 – 5238 Joyce Street
September 27 – Vancouver, 11:30AM to 2:30PM, PSAC RO, 200 – 5238 Joyce Street

A tentative agreement was reached on August 19, 2009 between the PSAC and Purolator Courier Ltd. The tentative agreement is subject to ratification by both parties. Unless otherwise specified, the agreement will become effective on the date of ratification. The highlights of the agreement are:

DURATION:

• 4 years (expires December 31, 2012)

WAGES:

• Effective the 1st Monday in January 2009 – 3.0%
• Effective the 1st Monday in January 2010 – 3.0%
• Effective the 1st Monday in January 2011 – 3.25%
• Effective the 1st Monday in January 2012 – 3.0%

In addition, a special equity adjustment will apply to all classifications and levels:

• Effective the 1st Monday in January 2011 – 2%
• Effective the 1st Monday in January 2012 – 2.5%

(more…)

On Thursday September 3, 2009, a Tentative Agreement was reached between the Public Service Alliance of Canada and the Vancouver International Airport Authority.

• RATIFICATION VOTE:  September 24, 2009 – 1430 and 1900 hours, Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel, 7551 Westminster Highway, Richmond, BC

This Tentative Agreement is subject to the ratification by both parties and will become effective upon the date of ratification unless otherwise agreed to. The following highlights some of the terms of the Tentative Agreement subject to ratification:

• Duration – January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2012
• Increase to all Rates of Pay as follows
  • 1st Year – Effective January 1, 2009 – 2%; In addition, 1% increase to the RRSP contribution paid by the Authority for Employees in the Defined Contribution Plan. All other employees will receive a one-time signing bonus of $625.00.
  • 2nd Year – Effective January 1, 2010 – 1.5%; Effective July 1, 2010 – 1.5%
  • 3rd Year – Effective January 1, 2011 – 1.5%; Effective July 1, 2011 – 1.5%
  • 4th Year – Effective January 1, 2012 – 3%
• Weekend premium will increase to $1.75 effective January 1, 2010
• Vision care plan improvments: Laser eye surgery will not discontinue future claims for eye glasses or contact lenses
• Dental plan improvements: Increase the current approved schedule of fees for Basic Services to 100%; Effective January 1, 2011 increase the combined limit to $2,000.00
• Compassionate Care Leave: Expand the definition of family to reflect the Canada Labour Code and the EI Act.
• Improvements to Bereavement Leave
• Improvements to Family Related Responsibility Leave
• Letters of understanding on Personal Leave, Trades Shift Scheduling and Excluded Positions

Download the full ratification kit here.

Negotiations for a first collective agreement between GlobeGround Fuel Services Inc. and the Public Service Alliance of Canada are finally under way. The parties met to commence collective bargaining on August 27 and 28, 2009.

• Visit local20221.com to view the bargaining demand package.

On the first day of negotiations, information was exchanged between the parties. Your bargaining team also presented the employer with a package of bargaining proposals. The majority of those proposals contained actual contract language and the remaining items were identified as discussion items. The exchange of information continued on the second day and the employer responded to some of the non-monetary items.

Your bargaining team felt that a fair amount of work was accomplished in the first 2 days of negotiations. The next session is scheduled for the week of October 13, 2009

This new unit was certified by the Canada Industrial Relations Board on March 16, 2009. Some of their duties include the supervision of approximately 80 fuellers at the Vancouver International Airport as well as administrative duties related to inventory, accounts payable etc.

VANCOUVER, Sept. 2 /CNW/ – Representatives of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) are meeting with the Vancouver International Airport Authority (VIAA) tomorrow in a last minute effort to stave off a possible labour disruption at the airport, which could begin as early as September 18th.

“The clock is ticking at YVR,” says Kay Sinclair, PSAC Regional Executive Vice-President for BC, “We’ve met for 16 days over the last six months and it’s down to the wire – the Airport Authority now has just over two weeks to table an offer that meets our members’ needs.”

“PSAC members working at the airport are in a legal strike position starting September 18th,” she continues, “In a last ditch effort to avoid any disruption in service at the airport we will be returning to the table tomorrow with the help of a mediator.”

“Despite making over 31 million dollars in revenue over expenses in the first six months of this year, YVR has tabled a financial offer that is still far below average wage increases in the airport sector. They claim this is due to the state of the economy and the airline industry.” says Dave Clark, President of Local 20221 of the Union of Canadian Transportation Employees (UCTE), a Component of the PSAC. “In the same economic environment every other comparable airport in the country is able to provide reasonable wage increase to their employees. Why can’t this Airport Authority?” asks Clark.

There are more than 340 PSAC members employed by the VIAA. These workers provide key services such as emergency response, international arrivals customer care, runway maintenance, airfield & approach lighting, computer system maintenance, baggage handling, passenger loading bridge operation, maintenance of airport equipment and administrative services.

A diverse union of over 165,000, PSAC members working in the public and private sectors deliver quality services to Canadians every day.

Negotiations for a first collective agreement between ARINC International of Canada and the Public Service Alliance of Canada commenced on August 25 and 26, 2009.

• Visit local20221.com to view the bargaining proposals

Your bargaining team presented the employer with bargaining proposals on the first day of negotiations. Discussions continued throughout the second day and the employer provided your bargaining team with some general comments and “high level” feedback. We expect the employer to come back with more detailed responses at the next meeting. The next session is scheduled for October 7 and 8, 2009.

This new bargaining unit was certified by the Canada Industrial Relations Board on May 19, 2009. This group of approximately 21 members provides, amongst many other duties, technical support for computers and computer networks at the Vancouver International Airport and other locations. They also operate a help-desk responding to customer calls at the Vancouver International Airport.

Thank you, Local 20221 Bargaining Team

Your bargaining team is pleased to announce that, with the assistance of a Conciliation Officer, a tentative agreement was reached on Wednesday August 19th. Highlights of the four year agreement, set to expire December 31, 2012, include

• Economic increases of 3.0, 3.0, 3.25, and 3%
• Special equity adjustments for all classifications and levels of 2% in January 2011, and a further 2.5 % in January 2012
• Improvements to vacation leave for long-time employees
• Improvements to the pension plan and benefits plan
• Increased coverage for generic prescription drugs, basic dental care, and vision care.

More details will be available in the ratification package. The ratification vote is being scheduled, and further details will be available soon.

The bargaining team would like to thank all members of the Local for their support during negotiations.